Calamity- First of a Series
by MonroeDakota
Summary: Detective Douglas, a hard-working NYPD police officer, discovers that when death comes knocking, it sometimes just barges in and doesn't know when to leave. A sinister intruder slips into the home of Douglas' colleague, Detective Vaughn, and presents the terrified man with an impossible ultimatum: select one family member to be killed, or all will die.-CONTINUED ON PAGE 1
1. Chapter 1

**Detective Douglas, a hard-working NYPD police officer, discovers that when death comes knocking, it sometimes just barges in and doesn't know when to leave.**** A sinister intruder slips into the home of Douglas' colleague, Detective Vaughn, and presents the terrified man with an impossible ultimatum: ****select one family member to be killed, or all will die. ****The merciless assault at the Vaughn household is only the beginning of a horrific series of torture-killings carried out against top New York law-enforcement personnel. ****Douglas finds himself up against the most brilliant and methodical assassin he has ever encountered in his fifteen years with the force.**** But what really separates this one from the many criminals Douglas and his men have pursued is the fact that this murderer is not running. He's hunting the men who think they are hunting him****.**

**Calamity**

Officer Vaughn stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist, singing along to the radio as if he were in a crowded karaoke lounge. He cleared away the mist on the mirror to admire his blond hair and blue eyes and flexed his chest to make his pecs bounce up and down. "You handsome mothas, shut your mouth!" he whispered to himself. He was in a great mood, looking forward to a long-awaited outing in Montauk with his family.

Vaughn worked long, tedious days, sometimes well into the wee hours. He'd been a detective for more than five years, and yearned to be made lieutenant, which would bring a pay raise, time off, and maybe even some say in his hours. His track record this year had been outstanding. He was the number-one-ranking officer in the precinct's Eastern Division. He'd not only achieved the most busts, but ninety percent of those he'd apprehended had been convicted. Things looked good. His colleague Detective Douglas, for reasons unknown, had recommended him to the captain for the promotion.

He sighed happily as he tied the strings to his robe, expecting either his wife or one of his teenage children to barge in as next in line. But when he opened the door, the house seemed oddly quiet, and he continued to his bedroom.

The sudden blow to the back of his skull sent him crumpling to the floor.

His vision was a bit blurry as he came to, and his head throbbed ferociously. He couldn't move his hands. After blinking a few times, he was able to see that he was handcuffed to the radiator and facing the wall. He managed to roll over to his back, and when he did so, saw his wife, daughter, and son lying on their stomachs with their hands and feet tied behind them and duct tape across their mouths.

"Good morning, Detective!" said a cheery voice. He turned to see a stranger dressed in the robe of a priest.

"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?" Vaughn shouted. "I hope you are fully aware of who you're dealing with! I'm an NYPD officer. Now I suggest you, uh—"

"You suggest what, Detective Vaughn?" the intruder inquired calmly.

"Just get the hell out of my house! I swear I will hunt you down and make you regret this day as long as you live if you don't leave now!"

"Detective Vaughn, Detective Vaughn, " the intruder chuckled. "I can assure you that when I leave here, you'll be in no position to harm me ever again, or anyone else, for that matter."

Vaughn was growing curious, in spite of his mounting terror. This definitely wasn't just some random intrusion.

"Yes, Detective, you and I both know you've been a real bad boy over these past few years. Isn't that right, Detective?" said the man with a sinister smirk.

Vaughn didn't respond.

"Protect and serve, or maybe it's serve and protect. The slogan goes something along those lines, am I correct, Detective? Do you remember reciting that when you took your oath to protect the citizens of this country? You've broken that promise on many different occasions, haven't you? Not to mention the sacred promises you made, and broke, with your wife."

Vaughn glanced over at his wife, Melinda. "You know nothing about me. Just get out of my house!" he shrieked, rattling his wrists against the cuffs.

"You're wrong, Detective. I know a lot about you. How about you, Melinda? Do you know about that married woman your hubby spends his free time with while you think he's out working on cases? Oh, no, Detective, don't look surprised. It gets better. Apparently you're not the only one enjoying time away from your spouse. Isn't that right, Melinda?"

Perspiration soaked Melinda's brown hair and tears ran down her tanned face. Her lips quivered in fear.

Vaughn looked over at her with a deep frown.

"What kind of detective are you? How could you not know what Melinda has been up to? Didn't you get suspicious when she suddenly stopped complaining about your not coming home at night? Wouldn't you like me to tell you why? Better yet, I can show you." The intruder pulled an iPhone out of his pocket and knelt down close.

Vaughn stared wide-eyed at the video recording, watching Detective Douglas, his so-called buddy who had recommended him for the promotion, undressing Melinda's petite frame. He turned away in disgust when Douglas combed his fingers through her shoulder-length hair as they kissed.

"You don't want to see it, Detective? Oh, my heavens, why not? It just keeps getting better!" The man was grinning.

Vaughn shot daggers in Melinda's direction.

"Temper, temper, Detective," the man laughed. "Look at the bright side! The kids were asleep, and she did help you get that recommendation. And since we're on the subject of revelation, Melinda, I'm going to need your assistance on the next part of this tell-a-thon." The man shoved the iPhone into her trembling hand. "Melinda, I need you to record the detective as he tells us and the rest of the world how dishonest an officer he's really been. He's going to tell us just how much he wanted that position—so much that he went above and beyond the call of duty, and did some really very immoral and illegal things! Press 'Record' when I tell you. Are you ready, Detective? OK, show time!"

Melinda shakily pressed "Record" and pointed the iPhone at her husband.

"Now, Detective, said the fake priest in a firm, steady voice, "I want you to tell everyone in detail exactly how you accumulated so many arrests, most of which, I feel it is important to point out, also led to a substantial number of false convictions. Don't forget to mention the groups of people you targeted, and why. And for goodness' sake, don't leave out the juicy details of the countless women you victimized."

For the next half hour Melinda watched in shock as her husband explained how he had set up people who had prior convictions. She was well aware of how he could bank on the fact that the courts wouldn't challenge his integrity as an officer, in spite of inconsistent testimonies or weak evidence. Vaughn told how he would pick up prostitutes and threaten them with jail time if they didn't comply with his sexual demands.

After the recorder clicked off, Vaughn couldn't look in his family's direction. Shame weighed heavily on him. For sure he couldn't let that recording get out. His career would be over, not to mention the criminal charges. He wasn't too worried about his family—he would just explain to them how this psychopath who wanted to destroy his life and loved ones had forced him to say whatever the guy wanted to hear.

"Good_ job,_ Detective," the stranger giggled, clapping his hands. "How does it feel to rid yourself of that burden of deceit you've been sitting on for years? It has to feel a bit liberating, doesn't it? Now you get to start all over again. I'll be the first to give you a shot at restoring your lovely integrity."

Vaughn watched in horror as the stranger crept over to his shivering, terrified daughter, pulled a pistol from the side of his cassock, and held it to the back of Jennifer's head.

"No! No! Stop! Please don't!" Vaughn screamed.

"That's all up to you, Detective. Seeing as how I have your full attention, you better listen. I shouldn't have to repeat myself in the least bit. It makes me feel as if I'm not being taken seriously, and I really hate that, and that wouldn't be good for those guys over there if I began to feel that way, would it?"

"Okay! Okay! I hear you, I understand. Now please stop pointing the gun at her! I'll do whatever you want. I already proved that," Vaughn sobbed.

"Can I trust you, Detective? Better yet, can your family trust you not to do anything silly if I take the cuffs off you?"

"Yes, you can trust me. I'll do what you want. Now please, just move the gun."

"Very well, then, if it'll make you all feel better." He put the gun back in his pocket. "I guess we wouldn't want an accident to occur." He tossed the cuff key to Melinda. "Uncuff him."

Vaughn massaged his numb wrist where the cuff had been.

"Detective, would you mind fetching me a glass of ice water?" asked the man politely.

"I'll get some ice for you, alright," Vaughn thought.

In the kitchen, he let the water run a bit. He peeked into the living room and saw the stranger speaking to Melinda. From beneath the sink cabinet, Vaughn retrieved the personal revolver he always kept taped there and hid it in the inside lining of his robe. Melinda always complained about him having the gun so accessible inside their living quarters, but now all he could think was, "I told you so, wussy."

"Thank you, Detective. You can set it down on the table for me, actually." The intruder paused, searching his pockets. "Here, you'll need this," he said, tossing a pill in Vaughn's direction.

Vaughn caught the pill and held it up to the light to read it. "Why the hell are you giving me Viagra?" he sputtered.

"Take it!"

Vaughn took a sip of water and obeyed.

"I'm going to cuff you back to the radiator now." Vaughn allowed himself to be recuffed. He was now sitting only a few feet from Melinda.

The man gulped down the ice water. "Ahhhhh, brain freeze, brain freeze." He grimaced and tapped the side of his head. "Okay, back to business."

Vaughn watched the man's every move carefully, awaiting the perfect opportunity to bring the entire situation to an end.

"Now for the next half of this segment, Detective Vaughn, I'm going to help you feel what all your victims and their families felt as you put them in an impossible position, to choose between two evils. You will feel every bit of distress they felt, and continue to feel daily, because of you."

Vaughn nearly vomited when he saw the sardonic smile on the man's face as he strolled over to Jennifer. Crouching down beside her, the stranger began removing her pajama bottoms. Jennifer and Melinda's muffled cries pierced Vaughn's ears.

"Stop, please don't! Don't hurt her, please! Take whatever issues you have with me out on me, not my family."

The stranger removed Jennifer's panties. "Silence!" he bellowed, pressing the barrel of the pistol to Jennifer's skull and then moving it slowly across her lips. Her body shivered as cold steel traced up and down her face. She tried not to scream, fearing what the stranger might do if she irritated him. Tears trickled out as she felt his hands spread her buttocks apart. He inhaled her scent deeply before gliding his tongue up and down her folds, causing her body to stiffen. Jennifer gasped as his two fingers invaded her virgin territory. He put those very same fingers into his mouth.

"Mmmmmm, mmmmm, good." He smirked at Vaughn, appearing to savor the taste of Jennifer's moisture. "It's really, really tight down there, Detective. I don't even think I broke her cherry."

Vaughn's blood was boiling helplessly as he watched the intruder make his way over to where his son lay. The man crouched down beside Robby with his back towards Vaughn and began removing the boy's shorts, then his underwear.

Vaughn, finally out of the man's field of vision, managed to reach into his robe and retrieve his gun. He fixed it on the intruder's head and pulled the trigger. _Click. Click. Click_. It was the sound of the hammer hitting the firing pin of an unloaded gun. Vaughn's heart pounded fiercely.

"Now, now, Detective. That wouldn't happen to be the gun that was taped beneath the kitchen sink, would it?" The man didn't even bother to turn around. "I thought you said we could trust you. Well, you will learn someday. Actually, today," he said calmly. "Remember when I told you that you would be forced to choose between two evils, Detective?" He stood up and faced Vaughn. "You know, like putting an innocent person in front of a court to choose between accepting a plea bargain of fifteen years or go to jail, and if he loses, twenty-five to life?" The stranger was snickering. "Well, today, I'm your judge, prosecutor, and jury, and the plea bargain is this, Detective."

Pointing the loaded weapon toward the children, he said, "You must penetrate either _him_, or you can penetrate _her_. If you do, they all live. If you don't, I'll shoot all three of them in the head until you're the only one left. The good thing is, you'll get to live. You have thirty seconds to decide. It starts now." He tossed Vaughn the cuff key.

"Listen to me for just one minute, please, sir? I don't know what to call you! What's your name?"

"Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven." The stranger was looking at his wristwatch. Vaughn fumbled with the cuff key, not knowing what he would do once he was loose. "Five, four, three."

"Look," Vaughn screamed. "I'm doing it now!" The cuff fell away, but Vaughn could not move.

"Two, one, zero . . ."

Vaughn and Melinda watched in frozen horror as the life-changing moment unfolded.

"Tell Robby that you love him and that this is your entire fault, Detective Vaughn. Not many people get a second chance like this. Certainly not the men that you and your buddies murdered."

Melinda and Vaughn cried and begged as they held Robby's terrified gaze. The madman looked up at them and grinned after the first bullet tore with barely a sound through the front of the boy's skull, sending brain matter and bone fragments in all directions. They collapsed in animal-like moaning as the intruder fired a few more silenced rounds into their son's lifeless body. He then strolled over to Jennifer, whose unblinking eyes were locked on her brother's corpse.

"The next thirty seconds begins . . . right . . . now," said the man calmly as he pointed the pistol barrel at the back of Jennifer's skull.

Vaughn whimpered and staggered over to where his daughter lay on her stomach. He penetrated her, but her eyes never left her brother, even as the foreign object forced its way into her unexplored canal.

"Now, come inside her."

Somehow, Vaughn was able to do that after a few more thrusts. The man then cuffed him back to the radiator. Vaughn's head slumped down on his chest.

The stranger got Jennifer dressed and made her stand up. He freed her hands and asked, "Now, Jenny, I'm not going to have any problems out of you, am I?"

Jenny said nothing, only stared at her slain brother.

"I take that as a yes. Well, I guess we're done here, Detective. Would you like to say good-bye to Jenny?"

Vaughn could not raise his head to even look at his daughter.

"I'm sorry," Melinda whispered, choking on her sobs. Neither parent watched as the intruder walked out of their front door with their only living child.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lieutenant Douglas rushed to the Vaughn residence in an unmarked police car after receiving the radio transmission that a homicide had taken place there. His heart skipped a thousand beats in fear that Melinda had been harmed. Further inquiry revealed that it was her son, Robby, who was dead. Douglas knew she needed him now.

Over the months Douglas and Melinda had come to depend on one another for companionship, even though they had never planned it that way. Their relationship began after learning that their spouses were having an affair with each other. It was out of only some sort of retribution, at first. But it quickly transitioned to something much more. The two fell in love and connected on levels much deeper than physical.

What a quandary they both faced! Douglas was married to Emily, but in love with Melinda. Melinda was married to Vaughn, but in love with Douglas. And on top of that, they were both still in love with their own spouses. Neither of them wanted to abandon their families. They both might have considered divorce, had children had not been involved.

Douglas exited the vehicle and headed over to the group of officers assembled outside of the Vaughn dwelling.

"Evening, sir," said Detective Smith.

"Evening," Douglas replied. "What the hell happened here?"

"It's still unclear, sir. Neither Mrs. or Mr. Vaughn can elaborate fully at the moment. They're still really shaken up. What we do know is they've been handcuffed to the radiator in their living room since early Saturday morning, about ten feet away from their son's corpse." "How were they discovered?"

"The neighbor. She came outside to pick up the morning paper and noticed _that_." Smith pointed to a large_ K_ spray-painted on the front door of the Vaughn house. "She came over to let them know that more than likely a neighborhood kid had vandalized their property. She stated that when she reached the door, it was ajar. Then the door fully opened after she pressed the doorbell. That's when she seen the boy laying dead."

"Thanks, Detective."

"Any time, Lieutenant."

Douglas peered at the door for a moment and then went inside. Vaughn and Melinda were sitting at the kitchen table being evaluated by paramedics.

Crime scene technicians were in the living room dusting for fingerprints and extracting particles of hair and whatever else they could find from the fibers of the carpet. When Douglas walked over to the table, Vaughn jumped to his feet and, without a word, tackled him. The two men crashed to the floor heavily, stunning the other police personnel with the ferocity of their fight. Officers who were outside the residence rushed in to separate them.

"Get off me! Let me go!" Vaughn gasped, lunging once more at Douglas.

"What in the hell is wrong with you?" Smith asked.

"What's wrong with me? Ask that son of a bitch what's wrong with him!" Vaughn replied, shoving the officer away. "I saw you!" Vaughn stabbed a finger at Douglas. "You were in—"

A deafening explosion shook the entire house, startling everyone inside and outside. Vaughn and Douglas looked at the same moment to where Melinda had been sitting. The chair was empty.

Vaughn sprinted upstairs three steps at a time, followed closely by Douglas and the officers as they raced down the short hallway leading to his and Melinda's bedroom.

Melinda was dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.


End file.
